How To Clean A Gaming Mouse Pad

Your mouse pad is bound to get dirt, dust and grime stuck in it over time. Here's how you can clean it.

Your gaming mouse pad may look like it's clean, but trust me, it isn't. Unlike items like you keyboard or CPU, your mouse pad doesn't properly show you how dirty it is. Dust, grime, crumbs, and even liquids like coffee will undoubtedly be stuck amidst the woven fiber of your gaming mouse pad. Thankfully, it isn't very complicated to clean, requiring not more than some good ol' elbow grease.

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It's important to keep your mouse pad clean because, if you don't, it acts as a source of dirt for your mouse and keyboard. The bottom of your mouse will constantly accumulate dust and dirt, and your keyboard will also get dirty every time some dust gets kicked up. Additionally, it can also lead to dust allergies and rashes on your skin.

Unfortunately, it's not very easy to see how dirty your mousepad is, due to the colourful and design-filled nature of them. Also, the dust usually seeps into the fibers, making it less visible from the outside. However, what you can do is run your nail down the darkest coloured part of your mouse pad - if doing so forms prominent marks, that's the dust being kicked up, meaning your mouse pad is due for a cleaning.

Submerge the mouse pad in lukewarm water and let it soak for about 20–30 minutes. After that, you can take laundry detergent, or even shampoo, and rub it into the mouse pad. Proceed to slowly brush it with the sponge. Try and angle the brushing towards the closest edge, so that the dirt doesn't settle back onto the pad. Do not use too much force, as it may separate the fiber from the rubber base at the bottom. Continue to follow this stem until you feel all thew dust has been removed.

After that, rinse the mat under a running water to ensure any remaining loose particles are washed away.

Not everyone has a tub, or a shallow container bid enough to fit an entire large gaming mousepad. In that case I recommend using the largest container you have and cleaning it one half at a time.

You can gang the mouse pad to dry like any regular clothing item. However, try and avoid strond sunlight, the heat may make the rubber base dry up and crumble a bit at the edges. It shouldn't take too long to dry, but we recommend keeping it overnight, just in case.

NEXT: How To Clean Your PC

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Vaspaan Dastoor is a News Editor for TheGamer. Previously worked at IGN India and constantly tries to get people to make time for an LOTR marathon. He can be found giving hot takes for cold responses at @DastoorVaspaan